diff --git a/lib/util.js b/lib/util.js
index 776fcdb0d39653..46ae1724a7c0fb 100644
--- a/lib/util.js
+++ b/lib/util.js
@@ -610,14 +610,14 @@ function formatValue(ctx, value, recurseTimes, ln) {
       if (ctx.showHidden) {
         formatter = formatWeakSet;
       } else {
-        extra = '[items unknown]';
+        extra = '<items unknown>';
       }
     } else if (isWeakMap(value)) {
       braces[0] = `${getPrefix(constructor, tag)}{`;
       if (ctx.showHidden) {
         formatter = formatWeakMap;
       } else {
-        extra = '[items unknown]';
+        extra = '<items unknown>';
       }
     } else if (types.isModuleNamespaceObject(value)) {
       braces[0] = `[${tag}] {`;
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-util-inspect.js b/test/parallel/test-util-inspect.js
index e3122d1b81e72b..b9ed02ddc4a69e 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-util-inspect.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-util-inspect.js
@@ -1310,7 +1310,7 @@ util.inspect(process);
   assert.strictEqual(out, expect);
 
   out = util.inspect(weakMap);
-  expect = 'WeakMap { [items unknown] }';
+  expect = 'WeakMap { <items unknown> }';
   assert.strictEqual(out, expect);
 
   out = util.inspect(weakMap, { maxArrayLength: 0, showHidden: true });
@@ -1334,7 +1334,7 @@ util.inspect(process);
   assert.strictEqual(out, expect);
 
   out = util.inspect(weakSet);
-  expect = 'WeakSet { [items unknown] }';
+  expect = 'WeakSet { <items unknown> }';
   assert.strictEqual(out, expect);
 
   out = util.inspect(weakSet, { maxArrayLength: -2, showHidden: true });